Insulated Concrete Wall Section Form

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and apparatus for forming insulated concrete structures, using a foam panel and lightweight cementious type of material as forms. The assembled forms are then preferably placed into position to form a wall and/or roof type of structure which then has concrete or another cementious type of material filled into at least some of the voids formed in the forms.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/943,450, entitled“Insulated Concrete Wall Section Form”, filed on Jun. 12, 2007, and thespecification thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)

The present invention relates to a form system which enables a user torapidly and efficiently produce a concrete or other form-settingreinforced structural member having an insulated exterior portion.

2. Description of Related Art

Concrete forms, including those made from an insulative material, suchas expanded polystyrene foam, have been known for some time. The problemwith known forms, however, is that they are often difficult and/or timeconsuming to stack together or otherwise assemble. Further, knownconcrete forms for use in the construction of buildings and the like donot incorporate and thus provide an interior surface which can bequickly, easily, and inexpensively finished. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,533 toGibbar, Jr. for example, teaches a panel which requires a user to cutgrooves into a slab of expanded polystyrene foam, lay reinforcingmembers into the grooves, close off the ends of the grooves, fill thegrooves with a concrete, allow the concrete to harden, then glue anouter panel onto it, before it can be transported to the jobsite anderected. Of course this entire procedure is very time consuming and evenwhen the panel is finally produced, the procedure forces a user totransport and then attempt to position into place the very heavy panel.

There is thus a need for a concrete form, particularly for theconstruction of buildings and the like, which not only provides aninsulating effect, but which also enables a user to quickly, easily, andinexpensively finish interior portions of buildings and the like soconstructed while simultaneously providing a user with the ability tofill the form while it rests in its intended position.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention comprises a form having a spacerpanel attached to a support panel with an adhesive and comprising one ormore voids therebetween prior to a form-setting material being depositedinto the one or more voids. The spacer panel can be made from anexpanded foam material, including but not limited to an extrudedpolystyrene foam. The support panel can be made of various materials,including but not limited to gypsum. The spacer panel preferably has aplurality of spacers and grooves on at least one of its surfaces and oneor more wire chases disposed therein. The form can also have one or morealignment structures, including but not limited to a lap joint, a tongueand groove joint, a mortise and tenon joint, a biscuit joint, a fingerjoint, a box joint, a dove tail joint, and combinations thereof.

An embodiment of the present invention also comprises a form having aspacer panel attached to a support panel and forming one or more voidstherebetween prior to form-setting material being deposited into the oneor more voids. The spacer panel may be attached to the support panel bya portion of the spacer panel being embedded within the support panel.

Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a form having aspacer panel with one or more spacers and one or more grooves, a supportpanel attached to the spacer panel, one or more voids provided betweenthe spacer panel and the support panel, the voids formed from thegrooves; and the spacer panel and the support panel constructed fromdifferent materials. The spacer panel can be attached to the supportpanel by the support panel being formed around an end portion of atleast one of the spacers.

An embodiment of the present invention also comprises a method forcreating a structural building component which includes providing a formhaving a support panel attached to a spacer panel, the spacer panelhaving one or more spacers extending from a surface thereof, the spacersmade from substantially the same material as the spacer panel; erectingthe form at a jobsite; filling the form with a form-setting material;and allowing the form-setting material to harden.

In the method, the form can be left in place after the form-settingmaterial has hardened, thus forming a portion of the structure beingconstructed. The method can also include disposing one or morereinforcing members within the form; and/or providing a wire chasewithin the form. Two or more forms can be erected at job site andaligned with one another via an alignment structure.

Objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope ofapplicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in thedetailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilledin the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned bypractice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the inventionmay be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities andcombinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a partof the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the presentinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose ofillustrating one or more preferred embodiments of the invention and arenot to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1-3 are perspective view drawings illustrating embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view drawing illustrating a spacer panelaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are end view drawings illustrating an embodiment of a formof the present invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective, end-view drawings illustrating a squaredcorner section and a rounded corner section according to embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view drawing illustrating a squared cornersection disposed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are end view drawings of an embodiment of the presentinvention illustrating most preferred dimensions for some aspects ofthat embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a side-view, perspective drawing illustrating an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention whereinhardened material-filled forms, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, are supporting a roof structure;

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention whereinhardened material-filled forms, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, are supporting a roof structure and wherein sidepanels have a mesh pre-applied thereto;

FIG. 15 is a drawing illustrating a side-view of a panel having a spacerpanel is glued to a support panel;

FIG. 16 is a drawing illustrating a side-view of a panel having openingsfor a wire chase disposed within the spacer panel;

FIG. 17 is a drawing illustrating a top-view of a panel having anopening for a wire chase disposed within the spacer panel; and

FIG. 18 is a drawing illustrating a front view of a panel wherein wirechases are disposed within the panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a concrete formstructure, particularly a lightweight concrete form structure whichenables a user to rapidly create insulated concrete-reinforcedstructural members.

The terms “concrete”, “cement” and “cementious material” are usedinterchangeably throughout this application and are intended to includeany type of structural material which can be disposed within a formwhile in at least a substantially liquid form and which can then eitherharden or be hardened into an at least substantially solid material.Accordingly, the terms “concrete”, “cement” and “cementious material”include but are not limited to all known types and formulations ofconcretes and plasters. The term “form-setting materials” is alsointended to include and used interchangeably with “concrete”, “cement”and “cementious materials”, and additionally includes plastics, resins,and any other materials which can flow and harden into a solid material.

Referring now to the Figures, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, form 10 preferably comprises spacer panel 12 attached tosupport panel 14. Spacer panel 12 preferably comprises spacers 16 andgrooves 18. In one embodiment, spacer panel 12 is most preferably formedfrom a material known to exhibit thermal insulating properties. In amost preferred embodiment, spacer panel 12 is preferably formed from anexpanded or extruded polystyrene or foam-rubber material. Althoughspacer panel 12 can be constructed to comprise virtually any length,width, and height, in a most preferred embodiment, spacer panel 12comprises a length and width suitable for use in wall panels. Forexample, in one embodiment, spacer panel 12 comprises a length of fromabout 7.5 feet to about 14 feet tall, and a width of from about 3 toabout 4 feet. Upon studying this application, those skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that spacer panel 12 can comprise almost anyheight as determined by any given application. In a preferredembodiment, spacer panel 12 most preferably comprises a height of about1 inch to about 24 inches, and spacer panel 12 most preferably comprisesa height of from about 4 inches to about 12 inches.

Support panel 14 is most preferably made from a light-weightform-setting material. Although in one embodiment support panel 14 ismost preferably made from a light-weight form-setting material which hasa very short set time. Support panel 14 can be formed from any materialknown to those skilled in the art to be useful in the construction of aform and can include any form-setting material, e.g. cement, concrete,plastics, resins, etc. Although support panel 14 can also be constructedto virtually any length and width, support panel 14 preferably comprisesa length and width substantially similar to that of a correspondingspacer panel 12 which attaches thereto. In addition, although thethickness of support panel 14 can be selected to provide the mostdesirable results for a given application, the thickness of supportpanel 14 is preferably from about one half of an inch to about 4 inches,and most preferably from about 1 inch to about 2 inches. Because anembodiment of the present invention wherein a portion of one or morespacers 16 are embedded into support panel 14 comprises a support panel14 which is most preferably made from a light-weight form-settingmaterial, the mass of resulting form 10 is preferably substantial enoughto permit form 10 to be placed in an upright position and remain in thatposition, with little or no bracing, until filled with a form-settingmaterial.

In one embodiment, as best illustrated in FIG. 6, form 10 is mostpreferably provided by inserting, at least partially, the tips of one ormore spacers 16 of spacer panel 12 into support panel 14 before thematerial from which support panel 14 is made has set into its solidform. In this embodiment, one or more protrusions 20 are preferablydisposed at or near terminal ends of spacers 16. One or more protrusions20 preferably enable the wet form-setting material of support panel 14to flow around them, thus causing protrusions 20 to become embedded intothe wet form-setting material and when the wet form-setting material hashardened, thus fixedly attaching spacer panel 12 to support panel 14.

In a most preferred embodiment, support panel 14 preferably comprises aflat clean exterior surface, which most preferably forms an interiorsurface of a structure and which readily enables a user to apply textureor coating thereto, or alternatively, to simply paint, stain or coatsupport panel 14, thus eliminating the need for installation of drywallor another material and thus facilitating the rapid finishing ofbuildings constructed from the forms of the present invention.

In one embodiment, one or more corner sections 22 are preferablyprovided. Although corner sections 22 can comprise a rounded, square, orflattened shape, virtually any shape can be provided. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, corner sections 22 most preferablycomprise a rounded or square shape. In this embodiment, when a pluralityof form-setting material forms 10 are arranged to create a corner, oneor more corner sections 22 are preferably abutted thereto as illustratedin FIG. 9. Upon studying this application, those skilled in the art willrecognize multiple ways in which corner section 22 can be held againstform-setting material forms 10, including tie wire, buttressing braces,scab braces, other braces, and the like. As further illustrated in FIG.9, rebar 24 is preferably disposed within forms 10 prior to being filledwith concrete or another form-setting material 26.

Because a preferred embodiment of the present invention results in theconcrete (or other form-setting material) portion residing in aninterior side of the insulative spacer panel 12, for a buildingconstructed from forms 10, the thermal mass of the material thus resideswithin the insulative shell of the building and therefore provides amore stable temperature controlled environment which is less susceptibleto temperature cycles associated with a warmer daytime temperature and acooler nighttime temperature.

In one embodiment, the grid pattern formed by the voids between spacerpanel 12 and support panel 14 fully complies with and/or exceeds therequirements of the “SCREEN-GRID ICF” as defined in the InternationalResidential Code. In this embodiment, at least one length of ⅜″ rebar ispreferably disposed within each row and column of voids created byspacer panel 12 and support panel 14. And in this embodiment, thespacing of each void preferably meets and/or exceeds constructionstandards. Further, FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate dimensions commensuratewith a most preferred embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated therein, a most preferred width and/or height of each rowand column formed between spacer panel 12 and support panel 14 is mostpreferably about 6 inches. Further, the most preferred thickness of anouter portion of spacer panel 12 is preferably about 2¾″ but can, ofcourse, be adjusted to provide higher or lower insulation values for aparticular application.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, spacer panel 12of form 10 can comprises an additional flat panel, which is alsopreferably formed from a quick-setting, lightweight form-settingmaterial, disposed on a front face thereof. As with support panel 14,the additional support panel can optionally be fixedly attached tospacer panel 12 via one or more protruding members around which theadditional support panel hardens, or it can be attached with anadhesive. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, one or more pitted orotherwise hollow recesses can optionally be formed into a front face ofspacer panel 12, thus enabling portions of the additional support panel,if applied in at least substantially liquid form, to flow therein priorto hardening. By providing the additional support panel on a front faceof spacer panel 12, a user can quickly and easily finish an exteriorsurface of a structure formed therefrom.

Because of the waffle-shaped, rebar-reinforced, concrete (or othermaterial) portion which is provided by filling the forms of the presentinvention with rebar and material, the resulting wall portions, havingan insulative outer surface and most preferably a readily finishableinterior surface, are thus capable of supporting substantial loads. Thewall sections of the building can themselves thus provide load-bearingstructure, capable of supporting upper floors and/or a roof, asillustrated in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, roof panels 40 mostpreferably comprise spacer panel 42, which is most preferably formedfrom a material known to exhibit thermal insulating properties. In amost preferred embodiment, spacer panel 42 is preferably formed from anexpanded or extruded polystyrene or foam-rubber material and panels 40most preferably comprise dimensions which are suitable for forming roofpanels 40. Panels 40 can comprise dimensions similar to those of wallpanels 10. Spacer panel 42 preferably comprise one or more channels 44.In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing members, such arebar or concrete wire are preferably arranged on spacer panel 42 beforelightweight cementious or other material 46 is poured and/or formed ontoat least a portion of spacer panel 42, thus providing a structuralrigidity to roof panel 40. After roof panels 40 are placed on the top ofa structure, forms are preferably placed against one or more spacerpanels 40 before a material is disposed within recessed areas 48 formedby spacer panels 42 and material 46.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 14, panel 10 optionally comprisesexterior mesh 30 for example a fiberglass mesh, and a base coat across asubstantial surface area of at least one side of panel 10, thuseliminating the additional steps needed for application of exteriorlathe and base coat and greatly reduces the amount of labor required tocomplete construction. In this embodiment, mesh 30 is most preferablyapplied along an entire length of panel 10, but does not extend all theway to each side thereof. Accordingly, after placing panels 10, a userneed only apply strips of mesh where two panels meet 32, thus lockingthe panels together and greatly reducing installation labor. In oneembodiment, form-setting material placed within the voids hardens andthe panel is thus installed, the insulated form-setting material form'sexterior face is preferably coated with a fiberglass mesh applied withan adhesive ground coat followed by a stucco color coat or other finish.An acrylic stucco color coat, acrylic paint or other paint, stain orcoating can be used to coat the exterior of the finished structurecreated with panels 10. Stone and masonry products can be attached tothe exterior face of the product. Wooden furring strips are preferablyattached to the wall by embedding screws into the form-setting materialcavity prior to pouring form-setting material therein, or another typeof form-setting material attachment product is preferably provided toconnect furring strips to the form-setting material core. The siding canbe attached to the furring strips by conventional methods.

As best illustrated in FIG. 15, in an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention, spacer panel 12 is preferably attached directly tosupport panel 14 with an adhesive. In this embodiment, support panel 14is preferably a pre-formed panel having dimensions as previouslydiscussed. While support panel 14 can comprise a form-setting type ofmaterial, in this embodiment, support panel 14 is most preferably apanel formed from a gypsum type of material, such as a sheet of drywall.

FIGS. 16-18 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention whereinspacer panel 12 comprises one or more wire chases 50 disposed therein.While the number, size, shape, and location of wire chases 50 can beadjusted to fit any particular application, as one non-limiting example,spacer panel 12 preferably comprises horizontal wire chases at a heightfor electrical wall-sockets, and for light switches which arerespectively provided at a height of from about six inches from a bottomedge of an erected panel section to a height of about 1 foot and from aheight of about three and one-half feet from a bottom of an erectedpanel to a height of about four and one-half feet. Spacer panel 12 alsooptionally comprises vertically arranged wire chases positioned from anupper portion of an erected panel to an intersecting horizontal wirechase and most preferably are spaced about every two to about every fourlinear feet of a wall formed from panels 10. In one embodiment, wirechases 50 are cut into spacer panel 12 with a hot-knife having aring-type of blade, and the resulting cut-away portion, having asubstantially circular cross-section—formed from the ring-type blade, isthen preferably pulled from panel 12 as a an elongated rod-type member.Of course other methods can be used to create a void in panel 12 for useas wire chase 50 as those skilled in the art will readily appreciateupon studying this application. Wire chase 50 permits a user to runwires through panel 10 without the use of a conduit prior to, or afterconcrete or other form-setting material has been disposed within panel10.

As is also best illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, spacer panels 12 alsooptionally comprise one or more alignment structures 52 disposed on oneor more sides of spacer panel 12. Although alignment structures 52 areillustrated as being a protrusions and/or rounded recesses, theparticular shape of structures 52 are not essential, but are preferablyshaped such that adjacently disposed panels 10 can mate with oneanother, thus enabling a user to quickly align the adjacently disposedpanels with one another. Other types of alignment structures that canalso optionally be used and will produce desirable results for variousapplications include but are not limited to: a lap joint, a tongue andgroove joint, a mortise and tenon joint, a biscuit joint, a fingerjoint, a box joint, a dove tail joint, and combinations thereof.

Because preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise spacerpanel 12 already attached to support panel 14, forms according toembodiments of the present invention can be filled while standing in avertical or substantially vertical position such that the form-settingmaterial can be poured into form 12 where a wall is desired, thusavoiding the need to transport and/or erect a heavy panel which alreadyhas been filled with concrete or another form-setting material.

In one embodiment, form 10 comprises only spacer panel 12 attached tosupport panel 14 and does not comprise additional panels or sheets.According to one embodiment of the present invention, form 10 isdesigned and/or intended to be left in place after hardening of theconcrete or other form-setting material, thus forming a portion of thecompleted wall or roof structure. One embodiment of the presentinvention does not rely on the use of metal and/or plastic componentsfor attaching support panel 14 to spacer panel 12. Although spacer panel12 is most preferably made from an expanded polystyrene foam material,other materials, including plastics and expanded foams can also be usedand will provide desirable results.

Although consistently referred to as “flat panel 14”, this is donemerely for simplicity and to refer to a most preferred embodiment.Accordingly, the physical shape of flat panel 14 is not intended to belimited only to flat and substantially flat shapes, but rather cancomprise any shape capable of attaching to spacer panel 12. Thus, thispanel is also referred to herein as a “support panel.”

Although the invention has been described in detail with particularreference to these preferred embodiments, other embodiments can achievethe same results. Variations and modifications of the present inventionwill be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to coverin the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. Theentire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, andpublications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference.

1. A form comprising: a spacer panel attached to a support panel with anadhesive; and said spacer panel comprising one or more voidstherebetween prior to a form-setting material being deposited into saidone or more voids.
 2. The form of claim 1 wherein said spacer panelcomprises an expanded foam material.
 3. The form of claim 1 wherein saidsupport panel comprises gypsum.
 4. The form of claim 1 wherein saidspacer panel comprises a plurality of spacers and grooves.
 5. The formof claim 1 wherein said spacer panel comprises a chase disposed therein.6. The form of claim 1 wherein said form comprises one or more alignmentstructures.
 7. A form comprising: a spacer panel attached to a supportpanel by a portion of said spacer panel being embedded within saidsupport panel; and one or more voids therebetween prior to aform-setting material being deposited into said one or more voids. 8.The form of claim 7 wherein said spacer panel comprises an expanded foammaterial.
 9. The form of claim 7 wherein said support panel comprisesgypsum.
 10. The form of claim 7 wherein said spacer panel comprises aplurality of spacers and grooves.
 11. The form of claim 7 wherein saidspacer panel comprises a chase disposed therein.
 12. The form of claim 7wherein said form comprises one or more alignment structures.
 13. A formcomprising: a spacer panel comprising one or more spacers and one ormore grooves; a support panel attached to said spacer panel; one or morevoids provided between said spacer panel and said support panel, saidvoids formed from said grooves; and said spacer panel and said supportpanel constructed from different materials.
 14. The form of claim 13wherein said spacer panel comprises an expanded foam material.
 15. Theform of claim 14 wherein said expanded foam material comprises expandedpolystyrene foam.
 16. The form of claim 13 wherein said spacer panel isattached to said support panel with an adhesive.
 17. The form of claim13 wherein said spacer panel is attached to said support panel by thesupport panel being formed around an end portion of at least one of saidspacers.
 18. The form of claim 13 further comprising an alignmentstructure selected from a joint consisting of a lap joint, a tongue andgroove joint, a mortise and tenon joint, a biscuit joint, a fingerjoint, a box joint, a dove tail joint, and combinations thereof.
 19. Amethod for creating a structural building component comprising:providing a form having a support panel attached to a spacer panel, thespacer panel comprising one or more spacers extending from a surfacethereof, the spacers made from substantially the same material as thespacer panel; erecting the form at a jobsite; filling the form with aform-setting material; and allowing the form-setting material to harden.20. The method of claim 19 wherein the form is left in place after theform-setting material has hardened, thus forming a portion of thestructure being constructed.
 21. The method of claim 19 furthercomprising disposing one or more reinforcing members within the form.22. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing a chase withinthe form.
 23. The method of claim 19 wherein erecting the form at a jobsite comprises aligning at least two forms with one another via analignment structure.